Experimental Malaria Vaccine – IRP Poverty Dispatch

Experimental malaria vaccine protects many children, study shows, By Rob Stein, October 18, 2011, Washington Post: “An experimental malaria vaccine has for the first time been shown to safely protect large numbers of children against the mosquito-borne scourge, researchers reported Tuesday. The eagerly awaited study involving more than 15,000 newborns and babies in seven African countries found the vaccine cut the risk of being infected with the malaria parasite by about half and the chances of getting deathly ill from an infection by more than a third. While far below the protection provided by many widely used vaccines for other diseases, the results were hailed as a major advance toward one of the most elusive goals in medicine…”
Malaria vaccine could save hundreds of thousands, By Stephen Adams, October 18, 2011, The Telegraph: “The pan-African trial in 6,000 children aged five to 17 months found the vaccine reduced the numbers infected with the most serious form of malaria by 56 per cent, in the 12 months after vaccination, compared to those who did not receive the jab. It also reduced the number of severe malaria cases by 47 per cent. As little as a decade ago vaccine experts considered the challenge of tackling the mosquito-borne infection impossible. But scientists on the project said the results proved that ‘innovation and a lot of hard work’ paid off in the end…”